Glider



- June 24, 1-947. D. s. FAHQRNEY 2,422,662

GLIDER Filed 001;. 7, 1943 lNVENTOR DEL/15E S. FAHEWEY Patented June 24,1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,422,a62 GLIDER' I Delmer S. Fahrney,United States Navy Application October '7, 1943, Serial No. 505,320

(01. 2443) (Granted under the act of March 3, 188 3, as

7 Claims.

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. (757) lage being formed of any suitablelight-weight material and of any desired configuration, the wing andcontrol surfaces being of conventional design. The present applicationis a continuation in part of pending application Serial Number 407,140,filed August 16, 1941,.now matured into Patent 2,399,215.

It is an object of the present invention to provide the fuselage withcompartments that house radio control equipment, television,servo-motors, batteries, relays, stabilizers, generators, auxiliary fueltank, bomb, torpedo, flare and smoke screen material.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of atow cable and means for guiding the glider below the line of tow.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision ofmeans responsive to any change in the angle of tow.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision forpilotless towing of a glider through use of stabilizers and servomechanism to actuate the control surfaces of the glider automatically.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision ofdetachable means on the fuselage operable by release mechanismcontrolled from the towing airplane.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision ofreleasable means connecting the airplane and glider, also controlledfrom the towing airplane.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision ofmeans controlled from the towing airplane for releasing material fromsome of the compartments in the fuselage of the glider.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision ofmeans in some of the compartments of a glider responsive to directionalapparatus for controlling the glider when released from a tow line.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be moreapparent from the following description and claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings which are made a part hereof,and on which similar reference characters indicate similar partsthroughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a glider fuselage and detachablewing. The servo-motor, stabilizer, battery and bomb compartments beingshown in dotted lines in the fuselage, a tow line and cables being shownfragmentarily and connected to conventionally illustrated releasemeans-v s Figure'Z is a view similar to Figure 1, the wing beingprovided with adjustable diving flaps, the glider fuselage with atelevision or radio compartment shown in dotted lines and with a towline and cables shown fragmentarily and connected to conventionallyillustrated release means.

Figure 3 is a viewsimilar to Figure 1, the wing in the drawing beingfixedly secured to'the fuselage, the fuselage provided with afuelcompartment shown in dotted lines and a fuel supply conduit connected toa valve in said compartment, the tow-line, cables and fuel supplyconduit beingshown fragmentarily and connected to release means shownconventionally.

Figure 4 is a View similar to Figure 3, the fuselage being providedwitha compartment and a hinged door, a bomb or torpedo in said compartment,the bomb or torpedo being shown in dotted lines, the tow line and cablesbeing shown fragmentarily and connected to release means shownconventionally,

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a glider fuselage, the fuselageprovided with radio, television, relays, generators, servo-motors andbomb compartments shown in dotted lines,- a tow line connected torelease means shown conventionally in the nose of the fuselage, afeelerand a guiding arm connected in the nose Ofthe fuselage, and means on thetow cable for holding the guiding arm, the-tow cable being shownfragmentarily and the fuselage broken.

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the presentinvention in which the gliderlssecured'to release means on the airplane,the fuselage of the glider being provided with compartmentsfor extrafuel supply shown in dotted'lines, and a fuel supply conduit connectedto a valve in said compartment as shown, with means for opening thevalve and meansfor releasing the conduit being shown conventionally asin Fig. 3.

Figure 7-isa plan view of atype-of hinge for connecting a plate and awing to the fuselage and illustrating the connecting pin and solenoid.

Referring-now to the drawings, the fuselage or body 8 of the glidermaybemade of any suitable light-weight material, such as metal, plasticor the like, thefuselage being formed in any desired configuration. Asillustrated in the drawings, the fuselage '8 is provided with aplurality of compartments, the numeral 9 representing the electric or.hydraulic servo and stabilizer compartment, the battery compartment andH the compartment for high explosives.

In Figure l, the fuselage 8 i provided with a wing I2 that is detachablysecured to the body in the following manner. On the fuselage 8 aremounted plate members l4 that are bolted or otherwise secured to thefuselage, the members being provided with spaced knuckles [5. On thewing l2 are mounted plate members l6 that are bolted or otherwisesecured to the wing, the members being provided with knuckle I! that.engage the knuckles I5. The plates are detachably connected by a pin I 8that passes through the sets of knuckles. One end of the pin I8 isconnected to means releasably secured between the wing and the fuselageand adapted: to uncouple the plates and, in the. present showing I haveillustrated one form of uncoupling. means in the form of a. solenoid [9for operating the pin l8. Solenoids bein of well-known types and wellknown in the art, I have not shown them in detail. I would, at thispoint. have it distinctly understood that although I have shown asolenoid, I do not wish to limit myself to same, a other types ofrelease means may be employed. A tow line connects the glider to anairplane (not shown), one end of the tow line being provided with aclevis 2! operatively secured to a plate support 22' that carriesknuckles '23 and a solenoid t9; Secured to the fuselage 8 in anysuitable manner is a plate 20 having a knuckle 25- that engages knuckles2 3, the plates being heldin detachable engagement by pin" 'l-B, one endof the pin being connected tosolenoid 1-9: ries a plurality of electriccables 26 that connect solenoids ii!) to a source of' electrical energyin an airplane ('hot'shown).

In Figure 2 of' the drawings, the wing I 2 is shown as being fixedlysecured to the body 8 and it is provided with adjustable diving flaps2-! and 28 which can beset automatically on release of glider. In thenose of the fuselage 8 in compartment 9, is housed an electric orhydraulic servo and stabilizer, in compartment Iii batteries, and incompartment 30 television or radio equipment, all of the equipment beingwell known in the art, it is not shown in detail. The fuselage isprovided with the tow line release mechanism illustrated inF-igure 1. I

Figure-3, in the nose of the fuselage 8 in compartment 9 is an electricorhydraulic servo and stabilizer and in compartment W- a battery; Withinthe fuselage 8 is 2: incl compartment 3| having an outlet valve 32equipped with a coupling nipple 33 that engages the end of a fuel hose34, the fuel hose being carried by the tow line. 20a The fuselage 8carrie a plate 35 that may be detachably secured to the fuselage, theplate carrying a pair of solenoids 36 and 31'. Connected to thesolenoids 3'6 and 31* are electric cables 26 that are carried by the towline 20'. Pin- 38 of solenoid 38 engages the valve 32 while pin 39 ofsolenoid 3! engages the coupling nipple 33. The towline releasemechanisrn" is the same as illustrated in Figure 1.

In Figure 4 of the drawings, the compartment M7 is adapted to house abomb or, as illustrated, torpedo M shown in dotted lines. Thecompartmen-t m is provided with a trap door 42 that is provided with acatch lug 43. The plate support 22" in this view is somewhat longer andallows for the mounting of an additional solenoidhaving an engaging pin45. The pin engages the catch lug 43- and holds the trap door The towline 29 car- 42 in locked position. Although I have shown in Figure 4 anaerial torpedo 4| in compartment 40, I would have it distinctlyunderstood that this compartment may be utilized for housing flare orsmoke screen material- In Figure 5, I have shown the solenoid I!)mounted in the nose of the: fuselage 8-. The tow line 20 is providedwith a ring Bil fora purpose to be later described. This tow line isconnected by means of a clevis or other link means 2! to a contact meansheld by a pin actuated by the solenoid it in a manner similar to theconnections previously defined. Within the fuselage 8 there is providedan electrical relay box 6! and mount-- ed in the box 8! in any suitablemanner for movement and contact therein is one end 62 of a feelcr arm63, the opposite end portion 64 being held in engagement with a ring 68.The electrical relay box Si is connected by suitable electric conduitsto the compartment 9 that houses a stabilizer mechanism and gyros. theglider is towed the relay in the box at is set to operate the stabilizermechanism to move the: glider control sur faces in response toanydeviation in the angle of the feeler arm 6'3 from that for which it. isset, to bring the glider back into a relative position with respect tothe airplane to return the feeler arm again to its normal angularposition. The solenoid t9, the stabilizers and gyros are con-- nected tothe radio compartment 25' by suitable conduits (not shown) so that whenthe glider is released by operation of the solenoid til itsimultancously turns on gyro stabilization and radio, television andother equipment as may be desired. Electrical energy for operating thevar ious devices may be supplied by a iamdriven generator or agasoline-engine generator housed in compartment 35. Within the fuselage8: are mounted small electric motors to that are connected tocompartment 5% by suitable electrical conduits (not shown). Televisionor-target. seekin-g mechanism is housed in compartment 3c and it isconnected by suitable conduits: 'not shown) to the radio compartment 2%The battery to serves to supply current to some of the devices throughconduits (not shown) that connect the battery with some of thecompartments.

In Figure 6, I have illustrateda modified form ofmylnven-tion in whichthe glideris cl'etachab-Iy mounted on an airplane. The fuselage is provided with a plurality of compartments previous 1 described and,therefore, no further descripti-on is deemed necessary. Tothe wings t2"are secured struts 45 having a knuckle E1 that engages knuckles Q8.Mounted on the fuselage 59 is a solenoid 50 having apin '5! that engagesthe knuckles 4'? and 48. On the vertical stabilizer 52 there is mounteda plate 53 that is provided with knuckles so that are engaged by knuckle55 carried by the fuselage 8. The plate 53 also carries a solenoid 5'6having a pin 51 that engages the knuckles 55 and 5-5. An electricconduit 53 connects the solenoids with a source of electrical energywithin the fuselage E9 A fuel tank (ii is connected, by means. similarto those shown in Fig, 3, to the fuel reservoirs in theairplaneiuselag-e at for refuell-ingthem from tank 3 9.

In the use of the glider illustrated Figure l, the glider is towed to atarget at which point the pilot of the airplane towing the gliderpresses a button or switch making contact with a source of electricalenergy, the electrical energ passing through the conduits 2 5 to thesolenoids It, thus energizing the solenoids, withdrawing the pins fromthe knuckles, thus releasing the wing, the

tow line and the electrical cables. Upon release of the wing, electricalcables and tow line, the

fuselage carrying the bomb falls free onto the "towing airplane the towcable and electrical cables are released from the fuselage. Theequipment 30 (television or radio detectors) directs the released gliderbomb to its objective, the radio, servo-motors, stabilizers andtelevision being supplied with current from the battery source. Thecontrol pilot in the tow plane through the radio equipment actuatingappropriate relays, actuates servo mechanism in the glider bomberdirecting it towardthe target as indicated by radio or televisionequipment until the glider bomber strikes its objective.

In the use of the glider illustrated in Figure 3, the glider serves asan auxiliary fuel tank. The fuel is released from the tank 3| by theenergization of the solenoid 3B withdrawing the pin 38, the gasolinepassing from the tank or compartment 3| through the fuel hose 34 to thefuel tank in the towing airplane. When the compartment 34 is empty theglider can be released or towed back to base station. To release, thepilot presses a switch connecting the source of electrical energy withthe solenoids l9 and 31 thus releasing from the glider the tow line 20,the electric conduits 26 and the fuel hose 34, the glider will glide toa landing on field or water through the medium of the operation ofglider controls by servo mechanism and stabilizers.

In the use of the glider illustrated in Figure 4, the compartment 40being loaded with a bomb or torpedo, the glider towed to an objective atwhich point the pilot of the towing airplane throws a switch, theelectric current passing through the cable .26 energizes the solenoidwithdrawing the pin from the trap door catch lug 43, the door openingand releasing the bomb or torpedo simultaneously with the energizationof solenoid 44. The glider can then be returned to base and released byenergization of solenoid IS. The glider is freed from the tow line 20and the electric cables 26 and glides to a landing through actuation ofcontrol surfaces by servo and stabilizers energized by a battery.

In the use of the glider illustrated in Figure 5, the automatic towoperates in the following manner. The glider is towed below the towingairplane, the feeler arm is held in engagement with, and at an angle tothe tow line by ring 60. During the towing of the glider any change inthe angle of tow of the glider, either to the right, left, up or down isimmediately transferred to the relay El that transfers the change to thesmall motors 66, that changes the follow-up ratio on thegyro-stabilizers, the stabilizers causing the glider to assume propertow position. Electrical energy is supplied by the wind-driven generatoror gasoline-motor generator 65. The solenoid l9 and the gyro-stabilizersbeing connected to the radio compartment, radio control directed signalswill release the tow line, the glider being stabilized for level flight.At this point the television or target seeking device is automaticallyturned on and the glider will then react to radio signals or answerautomatically, directions given by the target seeking apparatus.

The modification 0f myinvention illustrated in Figure 6, the gliderbeing detachably secured to the airplane is carried to thedesiredobjective at which point energization of the solenoids 50 and '56, thepins 5| and 51 are withdrawn from the knuckles, releasing the glider.This glider is primarily designed to carry additional fuel in itsfuselage to increase materially the range of the airplane supporting it,the gliders wing being of ample proportions to lift the additionalweight.

Other modifications and changes in the proportions and arrangement ofthe parts constituting the invention may be made by those skilled in theart Without departing from the nature and scop of the invention, asdefined in the appended claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and/or used by or forthe Government of the United States of America for governmental purposeswithout the payment of any royalties therein or therefor.

What I claim is:

1. In combination wtih an airplane a glider having a fuselage and wing,release means connecting said wing to said fuselage, a tow lineconnecting said fuselage to said airplane, one end of said tow linehaving release engaging means, release means carried by said fuselageand adapted to receive said tow line release engaging means, meanscarried by said tow line connecting said release means for said wing andtow line release engaging means with means in said airplane, and meansin said glider for directing said glider after release of said wing andtow line.

2. In combination with an airplane a glider, means connecting saidglider to said airplane, contact means carried by said glider in contactwith said connecting means, means carried by said connecting means forholding said contact means in contact with said connecting means, andmeans on said connecting means responsive to remote control signals forreleasing said connecting means and automatically stabilizing saidglider for level flight.

3. In combination with an airplane a glider, means connecting saidglider to said airplane, contact means carried by said glider in contactwith said connecting means, means carried by said connecting means forholding said contact means in contact with said connecting means, meansin said glider responsive to any angular change of said connecting meanswith respect to said glider, surface control means in said glider forcorrecting said angular change of said connecting means operated by saidresponsive means, and means in said glider responsive to remote controlsignals for releasing said connecting means.

4. In combination with an airplane a glider, means connecting saidglider to said airplane, contact means carried by said glider in contactwith said connecting means, means carried by said connecting means forholding said contact means in contact with said connecting means, meansin said glider responsive to any angular change of said connecting meanswith respect to said glider, surface control means in said glider formaneuvering the glider back to a position to correct said angular changeof said connecting means operated by said responsive means, and means insaid glider responsive to remote control signals for releasing saidconnecting means and automatically stabilizing said glider for levelflight.

5. In combination with an airplane a glider,

nneans connecting :said :glider -to said =-airplane, "Contactimeans'fearried*bydsaidZglider in contact with said connecting 'means,:means ca-rried by "said connecting means -'for holding :said contactsmean's in "contact -[Wit-h Said connecting :IDGEKIS, -1neans in s-aid-"g'lider responsive to any angula'r achange of said connecting meanswith respect to *saidglider,surface eontrol means in .said gliderfonfiorrecting said angular change-of saidconnectingmeansoperatedby saidresponsive means.

means in is'aid glider responsive to remote control signals "for"releasing @SfiidflCOIlIlBCblIlE means and automatically stabilizing:said .glider for level flight,-and directional object "seeking meansre- =sponsive to said =remote control :me'a-ns.

6. In combination with an aircraft, a glider, a connection from saidaircraft ireleasably attached =to :said glider, automatic flight controlmeans in said glider for operation when said ;-:glicler is detached,said connection including -a releasable coupling to said glider, meanson said connection operated by control meansin said-air- :craft forreleasing said coupling and connection 'from said glider and -f orsimultaneously turning on :said automatic :flight control means in saidgllder.

-7. Incombination-with an aircraft, *awglider, --a connection:fromsaidaircraft:releasably attached to said. :glider, automatic flightcontrol mean-s v in :said glider =for operation when :said glider isdetached, :said connection inclnding a releasable coupling tosaidlgliderfmeans on said connection operated by "control'means inaircraft for releasing said coupling and connection from --said gliderand for simultaneously turning on said automatic flight controlmeans insaidg1ider,= operating'devices carried bysa-id-glider havingcentrolineans for-their operation,-andadditional releasalolemeans.forming apartof said coupling for operating :said :control means,additional means in said aircraft for controlling-'said-operating meansin said coupling.

-DELM-ER' S. REFERENCES CITED The following references are of :record inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 15207;492 Buck Dec. 5, E19161,779,855 =R0'che Oct. 28, L930 1-,418Q7'33 Fokker 0 June 6, i19213690578 Hammond Nov. :6, 1928 "1281 81798 Hammond "Aug; "1 1, 11931FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 7981-80 :France Mar. '2, 19-36739,730 France -Nov. -3, 1932

